Tag Archives: gothic

We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Looking for something bonkers? Look no further than We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad. It’s both a prequel and a sequel to Awad’s breakout novel, Bunny (technically, it could standalone, but I reckon it would too weird if you hadn’t read Bunny).

The story opens with the Bunnies kidnapping Samantha, who has just published her first novel to critical acclaim (exposing the Bunnies and the highly selective writing workshop that they had all participated in). At the New England stop on Sam’s book tour, her one-time frenemies literally make her their captive audience, to tell their side of the story.

…Samantha’s a fucking asshole, and I do want her to fucking die, but then I thought: Why give her better book sales? Why go to jail for her when I don’t even like orange? Continue reading →

Stella Prize 2023 Shortlist – Hydra by Adriane Howell

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Hydra by Adriane Howell is true to its title – a beast that is hard to contain. It’s loosely Australian gothic, and tells of Anja, a young, ambitious antiquarian, whose specialty is mid-century furniture.

We learn a few important things about Anja early in the story – her rival at the auction house where she works is Fran; her marriage ended on a recent trip to Greece; and she is intent on classifying objects based on emotional response (as opposed to origin or period).

Teapots, I decided, were connected to storytelling, belonging to the Department of Once Upon a Time. Continue reading →